• That
there exists an ancient mystery that holds the secret of
America's future? • That this mystery lies behind everything
from 9/11 to the collapse of the global economy? • That
ancient harbingers of judgment are now manifesting in America?
• That God is sending America a prophetic message of what is
yet to come?

"Before its
destruction as a nation, ancient
Israel received nine harbingers,
prophetic omens of warning. The same nine harbingers are now
manifesting in America.... 'Hidden in an ancient biblical prophecy
from Isaiah, the mysteries revealed in
The Harbinger are so precise that they foretold recent
American events down to the exact days. ... IT’S REAL."[1]

But it's not true! Rabbi Cahn's
reliance on
mysterious signs, symbols and prophetic messages should be a warning to us. They
illustrate his subtle blend
of truth and mysticism -- and make the latter seem
more significant than God's Word. As he told Glenn Beck in
June, “The Harbingeris a two and a half thousand year
mystery that lies behind everything.”[2]

The Harbinger has accomplished what most
churches choose to ignore: It has alerted America to the
Biblical consequences of rejecting God and His guidelines. By linking an
Old Testament warning to a coming judgment on America, it rightfully challenges
us to trust God, to know His Word and to follow
His way!

Near the end of this book, author Jonathan Cahn shares a sobering
reminder. Here his fictional "prophet" gives Nouriel, the main character,
a good lesson on the
nature of evil:

“And who is evil?”

“Those who kill, who deceive, who steal, those who hurt and abuse
others.”...

“And what about you, Nouriel? Do you fit into any of those categories?”

"No."

“No,” he replied, “you wouldn’t. But remember, ‘All the ways of a man are
right in his own eyes.’ It’s from the Book of Proverbs.
That’s human nature.... Beware of the good Nazi.”

“The good Nazi? And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“The Nazis sent millions to their deaths out of pure hatred and evil....And yet do you think most of them
saw themselves as evil?”

"No."

“And why not?... Because they compared themselves and
measured
themselves by the standards they themselves create....You can never
judge yourself by your
own standards and your own righteousness, but only in light of His
righteousness.” [pp.228-229]

That part is true. So what can be wrong with a book that alerts us to evil and
calls America back to God?

In spite of my appreciation for the awakening effects of The Harbinger,
we have serious reasons for concern:

Its main theme focuses on a single prophecy
(ignoring all others) as the heart of an ancient mystery and the key to
America's coming judgment.

It redefines and misuses the
Biblical word"vow."[3]

The "prophet" blends truth with dreams, mysticism and a false
conclusion

Let's look at each point through the filter of
the Bible.

The Ancient Prophecy

Most of us remember September
11, 2001 --
"a day of destruction" in America. The two hijacked planes that crashed into the Twin Towers had unhindered
access, since our usually alert air defense system had apparently assigned its
pilots
elsewhere on that particular morning.

The next day, September 12, Senate Majority Leader
Tom Daschle gave a
verbal response to the terrorist attacks. "We will rebuild…”
he told the anxious crowd. He continued,

"I know that there is
only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation.
But there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that I think speaks to us all at
times like this:‘The bricks have fallen down, but
we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig [or sycamore] trees have
been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.'" [Isaiah 9:10]
[p.117]

Perhaps Mr. Daschle actually searched the Bible for a
short encouraging Scripture that would bring hope to his listeners. Perhaps he
didn't notice the Biblical context for that particular verse. In any case, his chosen words were
heard across America, and few questioned the message.

But to Jonathan Cahn and his fictional "prophet" those were dangerous words.

That mysterious "prophet" guides
the story through numerous
providential encounters with his inquiring pupil, Nouriel. Using nine ancient "seals" with
hidden symbolic messages, he gradually leads Nouriel toward an ominous conclusion: that
the Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 9:10-11 links America's fate to the
destruction of
ancient Israel. He suggests that the troubles on
Wall Street, our sinking economy, and the 9-11 destruction of
the Twin Towers are all rooted in these ancient words:

"

The bricks have
fallen down, but we will rebuild ..." Isaiah 9:10

The Vow

Cahn
based his message on the dubious theory that Daschle's words "we will rebuild" were
a prideful vow. But is that true?

No, it's not! Yet, when we read those words in the context of the entire prophecy, that
conclusion may seem plausible to some:

"Ephraim and the
inhabitant of Samaria, who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn
stones; The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”
Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against
him, And spur his enemies on, the Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth." Isaiah
9:9-12

The Israelites who heard Isaiah's words still had
time to repent, yet they chose to honor their pagan idols
rather than our sovereign God. But there is no indication that they made a vow
to that effect.
They would face His judgment -- but not for making a
foolish vow. Their actual sins were pride, rebellion [against God], and idolatry. Stubborn
and willful, they refused to repent.

Cahn's "prophet" would disagree. He believed
that all who
repeated those three words were guilty of making a prideful vow -- including
President Obama and the news media. This dialogue between the "prophet" and his
pupil illustrates the deception:

“...the prophecy
was proclaimed on the day after 9/11. Here the nation
vowed the vow to emerge stronger than before. Seven years later the vow
would be undone.”

“With the collapse of the economy.”

“Yes.... And what event, more than any other, would bring about that
collapse?”

“The fall of Lehman Brothers.”...

“So the economic collapse was triggered on the seventh anniversary of the
proclaiming of the ancient vow.”

“Just as in ancient times the same vow would ultimately lead to the collapse
of ancient Israel.”

"A very dangerous vow."

[pp.179-181]

Keep in mind, this supposed vow is the main
foundation for Rabbi Cahn's argument. So to check his theory, I opened our
large 1905 Webster's Dictionary and found this definition:

"Vow (noun): A solemn promise made to God... by which one consecrates or devotes
himself... wholly or in part to some act, service or condition."

"Vow (verb): To
give, consecrate or dedicate to God (or some other deity) by a solemn promise. 'When thou vowest
a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay
that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than
that thou shouldest vow and not pay.' Ecclesiastes 5:4-5." (More here)

In other words, the
actual Old Testament “vow” was far more than a simple statement of good or
bad intentions.
Failing to fulfill what was promised to God would bring serious
consequences. That's why God warns His people to avoid rash or foolish vows (Judges
11:30).
But I doubt that the political and media leaders of our increasingly secular nation were making
any solemn promise to God when they repeated those three Old Testament words.

Twisting Reality
through Dreams and Mysticism

Like God's true prophet Elijah, Cahn's "prophet" not only
speaks
mysterious truths supposedly from God, he also has power to transport himself in miraculous
but timely ways.
Does that make him more credible? Or would such fictional "miracles"
conflict with God's guidance? After all, the Bible tells us that,

"...no prophecy of Scripture is of
any private interpretation, for prophecy never
came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they
were moved by the Holy Spirit."

2 Peter
1:19-21

"I have not sent
these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they
prophesied..."Jeremiah
23:21

“...the
prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I
have not commanded him to speak... that prophet shall die."

Deuteronomy 18:18

In Chapter 19, titled "The Mystery Ground," the
"prophet" continues his lessons using the mysterious
"seals" to enlighten Nouriel.
As usual, the two men just "happened to" find each other in New York, near Wall Street.
But this time, Nouriel has been prepared for their meeting through his own "dream." And,
somehow, the "prophet" knows the content of that dream:

“The Temple of Jerusalem was the house of God’s glory,” said the prophet....

“I saw it!” I said, my voice rising in pitch....That’s what it was in the
dream—the dedication of the Temple. I had a dream, and it began with
Solomon leading a gathering of multitudes at the Temple....

“Yes. The prayers of King Solomon were prophetic.... The
Temple Mount was the nation’s ground of dedication.”

“I saw it all in my dream.... And after the dedication, the sky turned dark
and something like a storm was coming.”

(pp. 197-198]

Notice that Solomon is presented as a good and faithful king. The fact that he
would soon marry pagan wives and accept their
occult gods was ignored. Perhaps Cahn's fictional prophet was unaware of the words God spoke through
the less famous prophet Ahijah:

"Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the
hand of Solomon...because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth
the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom
the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is
right in My eyes... as did his father
David."
1 Kings 11:28-33

At the end of Solomon's reign, only two of the twelve tribes would be ruled
by his son, Rehoboam. "And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all
their days."

(1 Kings 14:30)
Once again, the main reason for God's punishment was
rampant idolatry, faithlessness and corruption.

But let's bypass that inconvenient part of history and continue with the
dialogue:

Nouriel: “[George Washington] was
there in the dream...at the dedication of the Temple....

Prophet:
“He was placing his hand on a Bible,” said the prophet, “to swear. ...He was
taking the oath of the presidency. It was the inauguration, April 30, 1789
[in New York], the beginning of America as a constituted nation....

Prophet:
“In your dream
the two events were joined together—Israel's dedication and America’s
inauguration." [p.200]

The mystical "seals",
the hidden messages, and the supernatural knowledge of this strange
"prophet" resemble the
Kabbalah, a form of
Jewish mysticism. Ponder these two
quotes from The Harbinger:

"Then I made a trip to Brooklyn. That's where my
friend was, an Orthodox Jewish man who ran a little bookstore, in
back of which was a study, a library of all sorts of mystical
Hebrew writings. That was his passion -- finding meaning in
mystical Hebrew literature. I figured he'd be the right one."

[p.240]

"So tell me what it says?''Blessed of God is the son of God's light, the declarer.''Who told you it said that?''A friend... a friend who specializes in
mystical Hebrew writings.'"
[p.242]

Many of these "mystical Hebrew writings" and strange biblical
interpretations can be found in the Zohar, the
written doctrines of the Kabbalah. See our updated article on "The ZOHAR and Kabbalistic
Mysticism."

The
next two links provide additional warnings:

Kabbalah:
"'Kabbalah' is a doctrine of esoteric knowledge concerning God and the universe, asserted to have come down as a
revelation to the Sages from a remote past, and preserved only by a privileged few. Kabbalah is considered part of the Jewish Oral Law. It is the traditional
mystical understanding of the Torah. Kabbalah stresses the reasons and understanding of the commandments, and the cause of events described in the Torah.

The New Kabbalah:
"The New Kabbalah is a philosophy and Jewish theology grounded in the
union between traditional Jewish mysticism and modern rational thought.
...the New Kabbalah seeks to uncover and further develop the
philosophical and psychological significance of Kabbalistic symbols and ideas. In addition, the New Kabbalah is enriched by
comparative studies and dialog between Jewish mysticism and other
religious and philosophical traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism,
Platonism, and Gnosticism.

"The New Kabbalah is born
out of the conviction that the theosophical system of Luria and his
followers promotes an open economy of thought, dialog and criticism while at
the same time providing a coherent and comprehensive account of the world
and humanity's role within it that is intellectually, morally and
spiritually vital for us today."[www.newkabbalah.com/home.html]

A Closer look at
Washington's Faith and Fears?

In his inauguration address,
Washington said,

“No people can be bound to acknowledge and
adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than
those of the United States.... It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to
that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a
Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes.”
[p.200]

The man chosen to
administer the oath was the Grand Master of Masons in New York. At least a dozen
other masons participated, including George Washington himself. You may want to check some
of these (outside) links[here,
here and
here]
for a small glimpse of the spiritual warfare involved in the roots of our
nation. They illustrate this disturbing
synthesis of Biblical truth and occult mysticism.

Six months after his inauguration, President Washington issued his grateful
Thanksgiving
Proclamation. It began with this statement:

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to
acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be
grateful
for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.... Now
therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next
to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and
glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that
is, or that will be..."

What was Washington's relationship to this lofty and somewhat impersonal God?
According to
Wikipedia
(and my own web searches), his pastor affirmed that he often came to church. He showed respect for all religions but rarely discussed his
own faith. And his titles for God sound more Masonic than Biblical, but that may
be more of cultural than a spiritual issue .

Yet, as Washington became more aware of the links between American masons and
the radical agenda within European freemasonry, his concern grew. He wrote
the following two letters to a German
immigrant:

[Mount Vernon, September 25, 1798]

"Sir: Many apologies
are due to you…for not thanking you, at an earlier
period, for the book [Proofs of a Conspiracy, by John
Robison] you had the goodness to send me."

"I have heard much of the nefarious, and dangerous
plan, and doctrines of the Illuminati, but never saw the
book until you were pleased to send it to me. … I
believe notwithstanding, that none of the [Masonic]
Lodges in this Country are contaminated with the
principles ascribed to the Society of the Illuminati."

[Second letter]

"…It was not my intention to doubt that, the Doctrines of the
Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in
the United States. On the

contrary, no one is more
truly satisfied of this fact than I am. ...I did not
believe that the Lodges of Free Masons in this Country, had,
as Societies, endeavored to propagate the
diabolical tenets
of the first[the Illuminati], or the pernicious principles
of the latter [the Jacobins]...."[4]

So did our first president eventually become a Christian? I don't know, but I
would like to believe he did. Like
ancient King Solomon, he had
great
wisdom, but only God knows his true faith.

[5]

Truth and Tribulation

Rabbi Cahn calls his message "The Ancient Mysterythat holds the secret
of America's future," but it's no mystery to those who are
familiar with God's warnings through Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and other
Old Testament prophets.

Their words and insights demonstrate God's
concern for His wayward people and His loving forgiveness when we humbly repent and return.
We would be foolish to ignore them, and wise to heed them.

Old Testament:"...it shall
come to pass, if you diligently
obey the voice of
the Lord your God....
that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of
the earth. ... The
Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated.... The Lord will open to you His good
treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in
its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend
to many nations, but you shall not borrow...
"But if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God...
all these
curses will come upon you....
The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all
that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until
you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in
which you have forsaken Me.... The Lord will change the rain
of your land to powder and dust....
"The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.... A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit
of your land and the produce of your labor.... The alien who is among you shall rise
higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and
lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him...."

Deuteronomy 28:1-47

New Testament:

"...all these things happened to them as examples, and they were
written for our admonition....Therefore let him who thinks he stands
take heed lest he fall. ...God is faithful, who will not allow you
to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will
also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
1
Corinthians 10:11-13

Notice the encouraging end of the last Scripture. Yes, we will face hard times.
Remember, trials and
persecution have pursued God's faithful followers through the ages.
But in the midst of darkness, His light shines all the more
brightly.

Through the years, most Christians in America have enjoyed relatively easy lives: no
starvation, no violent hatred, no fear of torturous assaults and the
deadly
persecution that continues to pursue God's people in other parts of the world. But
worldly comforts tend to feed spiritual complacency, and few of us have had much
teaching in the school of "joyful
endurance."

"(nădar) make a vow. (neder), vow, votive offering. Our root connotes the act of verbally
consecrating (devoting to the service) of God, i.e.
vowing to perform (Gen 28:2Off.), to make an offering (Lev 27), or to
abstain from something (Ps 132:2ff.)....(qalal), be bound or joined to or in” (cf. ‘ësär/’issăr “bond,”
Num 30:2... shăba’ “make a statement or a promise” (with an
oath invoking God and pledging something valuable)....The verb occurs
thirty-one times.(nëder) Vow, votive offering. ...This noun represents either the result of nădar, i.e. a vow, or
the thing offered to fulfill a vow. ... The
noun occurs fifty-nine times. "A closer description occurs in Num 30:3 where to nădar a nëder is to
swear to God with an oath (hishshaba’ she bü’â, cf. Ps 132:2) and to bind
one’s self with what proceeds from one’s mouth. A néder is something
promisedto God verbally (Num 30:4 [H 5]). If one so promises he is
obliged to fulfill [or do] his promise (Deut 23:22)." (Edited by R. Laird
Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr, and Bruce K. Waltke, Moody Press, 1980, pp.1308-1309)

4. "Writings of Washington, Vol. 36: *To REVEREND G. W. SNYDER." From
The Foundation Forum: The Real Story of the Founders and the Illuminati,
Part 2. You can read these letters
on the “American Memory” section of the Library of Congress website.

5. You may want to look up the following references
to Washington's faith.